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Nuggets push Magic's losing streak to 10

Denver's home record now 12-2

By Christopher Dempsey The Denver Post

Posted:
01/09/2013 10:46:06 PM MST

Updated:
01/09/2013 10:46:08 PM MST

DENVER -- Nuggets coach George Karl got chuckles from the peanut gallery known as the assembled media, when, prior to Wednesday's game, he described Orlando as the "best nine-loss team I've ever seen."

That nine-loss team, nine consecutive losses to be specific, made it no laughing matter at the start, knocking down shot after shot while limiting the Nuggets to one shot the majority of the time in a first quarter gone bad.

But the Nuggets figured it out, rallying for a 108-105 win at the Pepsi Center.

The loss extended Orlando's losing streak to 10 games -- it has not won since big man Glen "Big Baby" Davis went down with a shoulder injury after the Magic's game on Dec. 19.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, have won three in a row after the Minnesota "stumble" Jan. 3. They've run their home record to 12-2, and though not everything the Nuggets put on the court is effective or fundamental or always pretty -- free throws are an enormous problem (22-of-36, 61.1 percent Wednesday) -- they have been able to keep winning during this pivotal month of January.

Something else the Nuggets have found is offense. After Memphis, the Clippers and Minnesota held them under 100 points, the Nuggets have averaged 110 in the past three games.

Denver's 14-4 run midway through the second quarter took Orlando's 32-25 lead and turned it into a 39-36 Nuggets advantage. Corey Brewer scored 10 points in the spurt, simply injecting the team full of energy. He rarely settled for a jump shot, most everything was going toward the rim.

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Brewer also leaked out for fast break opportunities that kept the Nuggets' pace high.

The result wasn't exactly contagious, but the Nuggets benefited, and others got into the act.

Ty Lawson had a solid game, quietly at first, but more obvious in the second half. The Nuggets' point guard, who earlier in the day proclaimed his full health from a sore Achilles, finished with 19 points on 7-of-19 from the field and eight assists. He didn't get into the lane as many times as Karl would like, but was in attack mode a lot and did have a nice mix of inside and out, which aided his effectiveness.

Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried also finished with 19 points (7-of-10 shooting) and added 19 rebounds (nine on offense). He also blocked two shots and had two steals.

Still, the Magic did not go away. In fact, Orlando was looking for the knockout punch in the fourth quarter after holding the Nuggets to 17 points in the third to take a seven-point lead into the final period.

Sparked by a tightening defense and fewer mistakes on offense -- although, making a layup proved to be a struggle -- the Nuggets chipped away at the lead until they took a 95-94 lead on two Andre Miller free throws with 4:16 left.

With 1:36 remaining, the score was tied at 99. Lawson's bucket and foul with 1:27 gave the Nuggets a 102-99 lead on the three-point play.

The win spoiled the return of Arron Afflalo to the Pepsi Center, where he played for the Nuggets the previous three seasons. Afflalo, who came into the game with a near-18 points per game average, was strapped with early foul trouble and never fully recovered. He finished with 12 points in 32 minutes before fouling out. His 3-point basket with 36.3 seconds pulled the Magic within two, but they did not have enough to win.

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